Working With Specialists & Support Staff (Workshop)
New teachers often do not realize how much support surrounds them, counselors, special educators, interventionists, instructional coaches, and more. Knowing who these people are, what they do, and how to work with them means you and your students are never facing challenges alone.
Key takeaway
A school is full of specialists, counselors, special educators, interventionists, coaches, who can support you and your students; knowing who they are and how to work with them means never facing challenges alone.
Format
Induction session
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 1-30)
Who can run it
A mentor or induction lead
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutYour school staff in mindA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Conditions for SuccessInTASC 10: Leadership & CollaborationResearch on collaboration and support
Share / assign
Why it works
Schools employ a range of specialists and support staff whose expertise new teachers often underuse, simply because they do not know who does what or how to engage them: school counselors, special educators and case managers, reading and math interventionists, speech-language pathologists, instructional coaches, social workers, and more. New teachers who understand these roles, build relationships, and know when and how to seek their help get better support for students and themselves, and avoid trying to handle everything alone.
The research: Research on collaboration and support staff in schools.
The run-of-show
Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.
The core activity: map and engage your support team
New teachers leave knowing who to go to and with a first connection to make.
Map the specialists and support staff at your school and what each does.
Identify who you would go to for common needs.
Plan to build relationships with the key ones early.
Note a student need you could get support with right now.
You are not alone, know your support teamA school is full of specialists who can help. Learn their roles, build relationships, and reach out early, for your students and yourself.
Facilitator notes
Introduce new teachers to specialists, and clarify roles.
Normalize reaching out.
Model collaboration.
Trying to handle everything alone helps no oneNew teachers who do not engage the specialists around them struggle unnecessarily and students miss support. Learn the roles and reach out.
One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.
K12 Academics · Professional Learning
Working With Specialists: know your team
<b>Never alone:</b> know the roles of the specialists around you, build relationships, and reach out early.
The specialists and support staff at my school:
Who I would go to for common needs:
The key relationships to build early:
A student need I could get support with now:
My first person to connect with:
Make it stick
Know your team:
Know your support team.
Reach out early.
Bring a specialist collaboration that helped to your mentor.
Common questions
There are so many specialists, who do I go to for what?
Counselors for social-emotional and crisis needs, special educators and case managers for students with disabilities, interventionists for academic support, coaches for instruction, and more. Learn the roles and build relationships early.
Will I be bothering them if I ask for help?
No, that is their role, and they expect new teachers to need guidance. Reaching out early for the right support helps students and you. Not asking is the mistake.
How do I work well with them?
Know what each role does, build relationships, communicate clearly about student needs, follow through on plans, and treat them as partners. Collaboration makes everyone more effective.